Events:

THE CORNERSTONE IS LAID FOR KAG EAST UNIVERSITY

The first university to be built on Kitengela Road

Nairobi, Kenya February 21, 2012

KAG EAST University will hold a Cornerstone Celebration on Friday, February 24, 2012 at a new campus near Kitengela. This is the first university to be constructed in Kenya along the Great North Road (Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt) between the Tanzania boarder and Nairobi. Chancellor, Bishop Dr. Peter G. W. Njiri, will unveil the cornerstone in the ceremony that begins at 10:00 a.m.

East Africa School of Theology (now KAG EAST University) began in Nairobi in 1978. The Buruburu campus which was built for 200 students now serves over 700 students at various levels. About 60 acres of land was purchased in 2004 about 10 kilometers south of Kitengela town. On November 1, 2011 a ground breaking ceremony was held on the property. At the Cornerstone Celebration the participants will see the first university building rising two floors out of the ground.

EAST University has been a registered university with the Commission of Higher Education (CHE) in Kenya since 1985. The Bachelor of Arts Degree programmes (Biblical Studies, Intercultural Studies, and Church Educational Ministries) were approved by the CHE in 2011. Learn more about KAG EAST University here.

Contact: The Business Manager

busmanager@east.ac.ke

A historic event took place on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at our EAST University Campus in Kitengela at 10:00 a.m. The ground breaking ceremony included speeches from the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. Groups that participated in the event were the University Council, Management Committee, the Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, Missionaries, and Friends of the University. The following is a transcript of the Vice chancellor's speech on that day:

Today, 1/11/11, is a historic day for EAST. Historic days happen because God and humans take action. In Nigeria they say, “No event, no history.” Today you and I are making history. The Chancellor, Bishop Dr. Peter Njiri, the University Council, Academic Senate, Management Committee, Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, Missionary Council of the Assemblies of God (USA), and friends of EAST – you are here making history.

But this day is not an isolated event having no context. Days, humans and our God preceded 1/11/11 and days will supersede 1/11/11. We stand today on this field of black cotton breaking ground for a great university that will impact East Africa and beyond for a tremendous end-time harvest. We stand here today not on our own, but on the strong shoulders of those who came before us.

Today EAST has had about 1500 graduates sent into the harvest from about 250 denominations and over a dozen nations. Over 500 students are actively studying this year at EAST in Kenya’s three cities: Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu as well as Malindi and Kitale. This year over 200 Assemblies of God students (42%) are studying at EAST.
But this day is not an isolated day. Five hundred students from many denominations in five locations seeing thousands saved, healed, and filled with the Spirit is no accident. What is happening at EAST today is happening because someone, some group, heard God’s voice and obeyed the heavenly vision. What was that vision?

Last night I spoke with the founding principal of EAST, Rev. Jerry Spain. I asked him about how EAST came to be. He shared that Delmar Kingsriter came to Kenya and when he was pastor of Bahati KAG, he invited Jerry, a missionary in Tanzania to come and speak about the need for training. At one meeting in Mau Summit when he spoke, three young men came to him to ask about training. One said, “Our elders say we don’t need to go to Bible school.” Jerry responded, “Why don’t you come to Northern Tanzania Bible School in Arusha and give us a try. We are a school of the Spirit.” The three men came, the first among the newly formed Kenya Assemblies of God. The one who asked the question is here today, our Chancellor.

In early 1976 there was a meeting of a newly formed Regional Bible School Committee. They met to vote on whether to begin a Regional Bible School. There were missionaries and national leaders at the meeting from Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and the USA. On that historic day they voted to develop a regional Bible school to train Pentecostal/Charismatic workers for the harvest.
There are three important parts to that vote: 1) regional, 2) Pentecostal/ Charismatic, and 3) harvest workers. All three of these are still important elements of EAST.

Today as spades break this ordinary ground let it become hallowed ground. As black cotton is disturbed may the gates of Hades tremble. As trees are planted may a vision be planted here that will grow greater than any of us here today can even imagine to produce a great unreached people group harvest until Jesus comes again!

EAST Professor serves as distinguished chair for AGTS

Dr. Douglas P. Lowenberg was inaugurated as the 2012 J. Philip Hogan Professor of World Missions on Tuesday, January, 31, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the William J. Seymour Chapel at AGTS (Assemblies of God Theological Seminary). His inaugural lecture was titled "The Book We Hold Dear: Looking at the Bible in Dialogue with Africa."

A reception immediately followed in the Great Hall.

This was the first in a series of three Hogan lectures this year. The series, "Reading the Bible with Help from African Pentecostals: Allowing Africa to Inform our Hermeneutic" was set to continue on Thursday, February 16 at 9:30 a.m. and again on Wednesday, March 28 at 2 p.m.

About Dr. Doug Lowenberg

B.S., Evangel University

M.A.T., Texas Christian University

M.A.T.S., D.Min., Bethel Theological Seminary

Ph.D. (Cand.), Regent School of Divinity

Doug and his family presently serve as missionaries in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa, with Assemblies of God World Missions. For 16 years, they worked in Kenya, Ethiopia, Togo and Burkina Faso. Doug's ministry has included pastoring, teaching, school administration and church planting. He is the dean of the East Africa Graduate Studies Centre (EAGSC) with locations in Nairobi and Tanzania; chairman of the Biblical Studies Department at the East Africa School of Theology; and a non-resident lecturer at the Pan-Africa Theological Seminary in Lomé, Togo. The seminary offers doctoral training for African leaders across the continent.

Prior to Africa, Doug served for 16 years as administrator and faculty member at North Central University, Minneapolis, MN. During that time, he chaired the Cross-Cultural Ministries Department for 8 years. Previous to teaching, he was the Dean of Students and the Dean of Men.

Doug and Corrine, along with another couple, pioneered and co-pastored a church in Shoreview, MN, for one year; then Doug continued as senior pastor for three additional years. Before this, he served as a youth pastor in New Orleans. Doug has also done short-term missions work in over 50 countries in South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. On many of these trips, he led teams of university students, exposing them to pioneer missions ministry.

The J. Philip Hogan Chair of World Missions

The J. Philip Hogan Chair of World Missions at AGTS is an endowed professorship that honors the missionary leadership of this distinguished former executive director of AGWM. As a partnership between AGTS and AGWM, it calls on today’s missionaries and scholars to continue in the heritage of thoughtful, incisive and Spirit-led missiology that Brother Hogan’s ministry left us. A leading missiologist is invited annually to fill the chair in order to explore new dimensions in missiology through teaching, research and writing. Special thanks are due to AGWM, the Hyllberg Memorial Fund, Philip and Virginia Hogan and others who have contributed to the endowment of the Chair.

Previous Hogan Chairs

2010-2011—Drs. John and Anita Koeshall

2009-2010—Dr. Ivan Satyavrata

2008-2009—Dr. DeLonn Rance

2007-2008—Dr. Mark Hausfeld

2006-2007—Dr. Johnson

The pulpit in use during the inauguration was from the Swedish Free Mission in Moorhead, Minnesota. This congregation sent the first Pentecostal missionaries from North America, Mary Johnson and Ida Anderson. They arrived in Durban, South Africa in January, 1905, one and a half years before the Azusa Street awakening. This pulpit’s permanent home is the Khoo Kay Peng World Prayer Center on the upper level of AGTS.

EAST's programs receive approval by the CHE

Nairobi, Kenya, 18th October 2011

EAST celebrated another historic day today. During a powerful chapel service, the Vice Chancellor presented a curriculum approval letter from CHE to EAST's Academic Staff. The letter below states:

The Commission for Higher Education (CHE) is pleased to inform you that Programme Accreditation Committee of the Commission for Higher Education at its 141st Meeting held on Tuesday, 27th September 2011, approved the following programmes for the East Africa School of Theology;

(a) Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies

(b) Bachelor of Arts in Church Educational Ministries

(c) Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies

This is one of the most significant milestones for EAST's journey towards full accreditation and we really thank God for this step.

Nairobi, Kenya, 21 February 2011

Today is a historic day for training in Africa. At about 12:30pm (Kenya Time) a group of 74 trainers from 20 countries and several Pentecostal denominations across Africa established the Association for Pentecostal Theological Education in Africa (APTEA). This Pentecostal Theological Association will provide accreditation and endorsement of Pentecostal schools across Africa; a commission on theological research and writing as well as a teacher training and certification commission. Vice Chancellor, Jeff Nelson, of East Africa School of Theology became a founding member of APTEA.

This First Triennial Conference of APTEA convened at Brackenhurst International Conference Centre in Limuru, near Nairobi Kenya February 20, 2011. The Conference adopted a constitution and bylaws as well as selecting its board of directors and executive director as the first order of business on Monday, February 21, 2011. APTEA called for its founding meeting to establish itself as a member organization of the World Alliance for Pentecostal Theological Education (WAPTE) (http://www.wapte.org/). WAPTE is the educational arm of the Pentecostal World Fellowship (PWF). WAPTE does not offer accreditation, but is the covering organization that holds various regional Pentecostal accrediting associations to a high organizational standard.

Dr. Bill Kirsch, Director of Africa's Hope says, “APTEA’s focus will be increasing the capacity of Pentecostal training programs across Africa to prepare qualified leaders for the rapidly expanding church in Africa.” Over the two year period of 2008-2009 the Assemblies of God in Africa planted and average of 21 churches daily and added 1866 believers to the church every day. Other Pentecostal churches are experiencing similar growth. Along with Africa's Hope, APTEA will be another tool to help build a foundation under this exponential growth.

APTEA has been established as a cooperative fellowship of Pentecostal theological programs operating in various regions in Africa. It mission is “to promote the mission of God by facilitating and ensuring excellence in member institutions through recognition of academic programs, faculty development, institutional enrichment, and scholarly writing.”

The Board of Directors members are as follows:
Denominational representatives:

Lazarus Chakwera – African Assemblies of God Alliance

Harrison Sakala – Pentecostal Assemblies of Africa

Vincent Atterbury – Apostolic Faith Mission

Regional Representatives:

North: Jeremy Feller

West: Jean Bandé

Central: John Ikoni

East: Barnabas Mtokambali

South: Adrian Chalwe

Members at large:

Irving Whitt – Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada

Greg Beggs – Assemblies of God World Missions

Peter Njiri – Kenya Assemblies of God

Rev. John Easter was selected as the first executive director of APTEA.

Africa's Hope has been instrumental in bringing these Pentecostal churches together to formulate APTEA as well as the launch of WAPTE at the PWF meeting in Stockholm last August.

EAST Missions 2010: 3143 Decisions for Christ: Rendille

Report by Rev. Jeff Nelson

Few moments in the past decade in missions can compare with the inner joy I felt in Isiolo KAG on Monday morning November 22, 2010. We gathered with about 60 individuals to testify what
God had done the previous week in the Rendille Mission.

The reports of the six camps were given with little hype, kind of like records in the Book of Acts: Merille 480 decisions for Christ, Laisamis 312, Logologo 341, Marsabit 50 (32 being former Muslims), Korr 936, and Kargi 1024 for a total of 3143 decisions for Christ.

One of the individuals in the room that day was Rev. George Adeti. He was a student leader on the first Kenya mission trip I took with EAST students in 2001 to Lokichokio. On that trip we witnessed 29 decisions for Christ, mostly Turkana. Rev. Adeti is now the KAG District Superintendent of Busia, Kenya and he returned among the EAST mission alumni. He was instrumental in the Kargi ministry that witnessed 1024 Rendille make decisions for Christ.

Another individual in the room was Rev. Charles Owuor, now the KAG District Superintendent of Nyanza. He was the EAST student mission leader in 2002-2003. He was instrumental in inspiring the EAST student body to increase from 38,000 ksh (approximately $500) in 2001 to 100,000 ksh (approx. $1300) in 2002 in missions giving. On this trip alone the budget was 650,000 ksh (approx. $8,125).

God has been working in my heart over the past ten years developing a burden for unreached people groups. Like Esther looking over the palace walls, I have become burdened for God’s people. Like Nehemiah hearing about the broken walls and broken people in Jerusalem, I have gone to prayer for those God has placed on my heart.

In early 2009 District Superintendent Moses Muthee (KAG Eastern District) shared with me a need among the Rendille. Since then I have had the chance to make six trips and lead four missions to this people group resulting in 4116 total decisions for Christ and building three KAG tabernacles. I marvel at the receptivity of this unreached people group.

Through these various trips I have been able to conduct research that has been published on the Joshua Project website . The Rendille have an oral history that identifies the tribe as Jewish. They celebrate the Passover and worship the creator God. This cultural key has enabled us to share Jesus as John the Baptist declared, “Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

We are planning to conduct a survey in the early part of 2011 to discover the number of Christians attending church among the Rendille. We are hopeful that we will discover that the Rendille are no longer an unreached people group.

Please continue to pray for 1) the discipleship of more than 3000 new believers, 2) more laborers to work among the Rendille, and 3) new direction for us as God leads us to the next people group we (and EAST mission) should minister among.

EAST Enrollment over 500 for first time in history

EAST celebrated a milestone in November 2010. For the first time in its 31 year history the enrollment of EAST for a calendar
year exceeded 500 students. The last two years has seen the school grow from 332 students to 508.

During this time we have seen the development of our EAST Kisumu Campus and in November we opened our first extension cohort in Mombasa.

EAST continues to serve about 70 denominations that trust us to train their pastors. We also have the strongest Kenya Assemblies of God contingency we have had in history with 138 KAG students studying this year.

We have instituted a KAG Executive Presbyter scholarship at EAST in order to strengthen this relationship with the church and assist the leaders. We believe that by training our KAG leaders it provides a win/win for the church. The leaders are better prepared to lead and they will encourage others to study as well. Of the 138 KAG students, twelve (12) are KAG executive presbyters.

Recently one of our students, Moses Otieno, competed with university students from across the nation in a storytelling competition called "The Storymoja Hay Festival" sponsored by the US Embassy in Nairobi. Moses took first place overall in the competition and he won a trip to the USA to represent the African continent in an international event.

EAST is working hard to get the government charter (accreditation). Documents were submitted in December 2010 for the curriculum as well as the legal documents called draft charter and statutes. This is an important step for the school. We ask for your prayers for EAST in this process.

When new students are asked why they chose EAST, they most often reply, because it is spiritual and practical. The chapels, prayer times, ministry opportunities and mission trips at EAST make it not only an academic, but also a very relevant school. It is our desire that this will always be true.

EAST Faculty visit Uganda training event

Twenty EAST faculty members, administrators and board members attended the African Theology Training Services Event for Trainers Conference in Kampala, Uganda on April 19-23, 2010. The conference drew over one hundred trainers from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and the United States.

Plenary speaker, Dr. Paul York, Head of Department (HoD) Missions and Evangelism, Central Bible College, Springfield, MO, USA, challenged participants to see the Missio Dei (mission of God) in every class and activity of Biblical training. Host, Rev. Rob Shipley, reminded attendees that the reward of the classroom teacher is not the salary or acclaim, but the eternal rewards of their labors.

Seminar session offerings included: Ethics in the Classroom, Evaluating Ourselves and Assessing our Students, How would Jesus Reach out to a Muslim, Technology for Trainers, Rabbit Church Planting, Missions in the Bible School, Female Genital Mutilation, and Writer’s Workshops.

The participants enjoyed a half-day excursion into Kampala for shopping and relaxing near Lake Victoria at Speke’s Resort.